THE government decided to cancel the proposed new round of talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) arranged on June 28 to consult first what it called its “bigger peace table”—the general public and the private sector.
In a news briefing on Thursday, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus G. Dureza announced that the government is withdrawing from the June 28 talks to engage the public first on the next steps of negotiations with the NDF. Stalled talks between the government and the NDF was earlier scheduled to resume by the end of June in Oslo, Norway.
“In our common effort to make sure we achieve a conducive and enabling environment for peace, President Duterte instructed us last night to engage our bigger peace table—the general public, as well as other sectors in [the] government, as we work to negotiate peace with the communist rebels. Consequently, the initial timeline that our backchannel team had worked on with their counterparts across the table had to be necessarily readjusted,” Dureza said.
At least three major documents were expected to be signed by the two parties in the cancelled talks. This includes agreements on coordinated cease-fire and agrarian reform.
These documents have to wait longer, though, as Dureza said the government will have to acquire insights from stakeholders on the future of making peace with the communists. He added it is necessary to consult citizens about the peace talks, since these will ostensibly fail without their backing.
“Our peace efforts to succeed should have good support from the general public; hence, it is necessary that all efforts be exerted to inform and engage them in the same way the government engaged the rebels in addressing the root causes of conflict,” Dureza said.
“The almost 50 years of intermittent and oftentimes disrupted peace negotiations with the communist rebels across several presidencies need a close study for lessons to ensure that our last chance to put a dignified closure to the armed rebellion will not be squandered away. The government peace panel, in cooperation with the private sector, will continue in its efforts to engage those who earnestly seek peace,” the chief peace adviser added.
He also hinted the peace talks are now “at the cusp of some major breakthroughs,” and this is why the support of the general public is needed.
“Just, sustainable and lasting peace will happen only when our people understand and support these efforts,” Dureza said.
Negotiations between the Duterte administration and the NDF have been on and off due to alleged violations of agreements from both sides. The talks, however, were formally terminated by the President through Proclamation 360 issued in November last year, and subsequently placed the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, under the country’s terrorist list.